Teen Titans is based on the DC Comics superhero team, the Teen Titans, primarily the stories told in the early-1980s The New Teen Titans comic book series by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez. The series revolves around main team members Robin (the leader), Raven, Starfire, Beast Boy, and Cyborg. While it is an action cartoon, the series is also character-driven, with a focus on the main characters’ struggles with being teenage superheroes, their mutual friendships, and their limitations.[1] A major difference[citation needed] between the animated series and the comic book is that while the comic portrayed the characters as being in their late teens to early 20s (resulting in the comic series at one point even dropping the word “Teen” from its title to reflect its older characters), the animated series characters are all depicted as being in their actual mid-teen years.

Robin is sent to work with the Teen Titans after his volatile behavior botches up a Justice League mission. The Titans must then step up to face Trigon after he possesses the League and threatens to conquer the world.